Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein, (1937- ). Iraqi dictator. Born into a landless peasant family, Saddam became involved with the radical Ba’ath party as a young man. In 1959 he was implicated in the attempted murder of the Iraqi prime minister and fled to Egypt. After returning to Iraq in the early 1960s he was imprisoned for a further plot against the state but again escaped. In 1968 he played a leading role in the coup that brought the Ba’athists to power and became effective ruler of Iraq. He assumed absolute power in 1979, when he be-came president and head of the armed forces. Sad-dam’s rule has been characterized by the violent repression of minorities, such as the Kurds, and the attempt to make Iraq the leading power in the region. This ambition led to a long but inconclusive war with Iran (1980-88). In 1990 he invaded Kuwait and refused to withdraw his armies, thus provoking the Gulf War of 1991, in which US-led multinational forces routed the Iraqi invaders. Despite this humiliating defeat, the collapse of the Iraqi economy, several regional uprisings, and the defection of leading supporters, Saddam has retained his grip on power.
